1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to advertising and promotional displays, and more particularly to displays that resemble neon tubing in appearance.
2. Description of the Related Art
An important purpose of advertising displays or signs is to describe or present a product, concept, or idea in a clear and attractive manner to persons within visual range of the display or sign. The more visually stimulating or attractive the display is, the more likely a person is to take notice to the advertisement. Displays with three-dimensional illuminated images are generally more visually stimulating than two-dimensional images.
One popular three-dimensional display used often in advertising includes neon signs, which feature illuminated glass tubing bent into letters and other shapes. Neon signs are notorious for their nostalgic, attractive appearance. The uniform light emanating from the tubing is pleasing to look at and contrasts sharply with dark background areas between the tubing. During manufacture of neon signs, glass tubing that typically comes in four-foot lengths with a about a one-half inch (approximately 12 mm) diameter, is heated and formed into the desired shape. Often, a letter or series of letters and/or shapes are constructed from a single glass tube so as to create a continuous one stroke design. In order to maintain uniform light intensity throughout the length of the tubing, great care must be taken to assure that the diameter remains constant, especially at sharp bends in the tubing. Great skill is therefore required during the shaping process. Once shaped, Neon gas is introduced into the tubing and the tubing is sealed. An electric charge applied to the gas at opposite ends of the tubing causes a characteristic intense glow along the length of the tubing. A special transformer must be used to apply the electric charge.
Although quite popular, neon signs often break during shipping and installation. The manufacture of neon signs is very labor-intensive and requires specialized skill. Consequently, neon signs are inherently expensive. The transformers are also expensive and often raise the price of the sign to a prohibitive level for small businesses or persons with limited advertising budgets. Neon signs are also generally heavy and difficult to mount.
In an effort to overcome some of the difficulties associated with neon signs, simulated neon signs have been developed. These prior art arrangements typically include a flat panel that is imprinted with advertising and illuminated with a fluorescent bulb from a back side of the panel. The printing process typically utilized in manufacturing of such signs is silk-screening, wherein special inks are pressed through a screen containing a negative blocking image. The resulting positive image imprinted on the panel is often bleared and milky in appearance when illuminated and cannot escape the impression of a flat two-dimensional surface. Although the silk screen inks can be applied to the surface with rounded edges, there is no depth or three-dimensional impression. Thus advertising arrangements produced by screen printing fail to generate three-dimensional impression on a viewer so typical and important for the neon tubing displays.
Other prior art signs are vacuum-formed so as to have a raised element that may appear somewhat like a neon tube. Again, the silk screening process typically used in manufacturing these types of signs results in a somewhat white, translucent milky appearance and therefore gives a more subdued look than neon. Furthermore, the vacuum-formation requires use of special machinery and equipment custom made for a particular sign. This makes signs and advertisements quite expensive especially for small advertisers having limited financial resources.